# A tour of drug store blends, stop six: John Middleton’s Sugar Barrel



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

_(Note: this review makes some references to Granger, Carter Hall, and Prince Albert tobacco blends, to get a better understanding of this review I recommend you read those reviews as well.)_

John Middleton's - Sugar Barrel
Tobacco description from tobaccoreviews.com_ "Aromatic smoking mixture" _well that doesn't tell us much, 4noggins.com describes it as _"Primarily Burley and some Virginia with a light topping that is sweet and vanilla." _Provided that it is correct, at least that tells me something about what I am about to put into my pipe.











In The Tin/Pouch
This is a medium to light brown tobacco, I wouldn't call it a ribbon cut as it consists of smaller pieces than what I normally think of as a ribbon, I guess it is close to Granger which is called a rough cut. The aroma from this tobacco is really very nice, it is along the same lines as Carter Hall and Granger, but this has a bit more of a sweet smell, maybe that of brown sugar. The moisture level of mine was fine, though it has been in a Ziploc bag for a while, but I can't imagine it is drastically different than straight from the tub. If anything it should only need a little time before smoking. 

The Burn
This tobacco packs into the pipe well, in fact it might pack a bit too well, so new pipers beware this seems like it could pack too tight really easily. It takes the light very well, just as I have come to expect with this type of tobacco, it is a very fuss free smoke and burns quite easily. Smoking at a normal cadence it burned cool and without any major moisture issues. I did once have to run a pipe cleaner down the stem toward the end of the bowl, and there was usually a small amount of moisture in the bottom of the bowl at the end, but nothing that I considered to be too serious. 

The Smoke
The smoke from this tobacco is not sweet like you might expect from the name, but it is still a bit sweeter than Prince Albert, Carter Hall, and Granger. It is a nice slightly sweet flavor that is almost like figs or maybe cloves, it also does have a mild vanilla flavor but it isn't dominating at all. It also has a bit of a musty flavor to it, I know that sounds kind of gross but that is the best way I can describe it. This is a good tobacco that produces a good amount of smoke, but if it is over puffed it can become just a bit bitey. 

The Packaging, and Price
This seems to be one of the only drug store tobaccos that is not available in both a pouch and a tub. As far as I have seen it is only available in a 12 ounce tub. I was lucky enough to have been given a sample (thanks DanR) so I didn't need to purchase any. This one may be a bit harder to find than PA or CH, especially if you are trying to get it at a drug store or tobacco shop. It gets a bit easier online, www.wvsmokeshop.com sells the tubs for $24.59 and www.4noggins.com has them for $27.95. 4noggins also sells 2 ounce samples for $6.29, so that is an option if you decide that you don't want to commit to a whole tub.

The Bottom Line
I like this one, this is what Carter Hall would be it is had a pair. Honestly, I think I would put this between Carter Hall and Granger in terms of flavor. I liked Granger but it seemed to be a tad on the bitey side for me, and while I liked Carter Hall I found it to be a bit weak in terms of flavor. So far, the order I would put this class of OTC tobaccos in are: Sugar Barrel, Carter Hall, Granger, and Prince Albert. (Notice the Captain Black tobaccos are absent as I feel that they belong in a different class of OTC tobaccos) I wouldn't say any of the OTC tobaccos I have had are bad, and everyone has their own taste, but if you found Carter Hall to be a bit lacking than I would definitely give this one a shot. The only downside to it, in my opinion, is that it doesn't seem to be available in pouches and a tub can be a big commitment to something that is only smoked occasionally. 

My Other Reviews
A tour of drug store blends, stop one: John Middleton's Carter Hall
A tour of drug store blends, stop two: John Middleton's Prince Albert
A tour of drug store blends, stop three: Pinkerton Tobacco Company - Granger
A tour of drug store blends, stop four: Lane Limited - Captain Black Regular (White)
A tour of drug store blends, stop five: Lane Limited - Captain Black Gold
Ogden's of Liverpool - St. Bruno Ready Rubbed
Orlik - Golden Sliced
GL Pease - Lagonda
Peterson - Irish Flake
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Bogie
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Kentucky
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Bird's Eye
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
McClelland - Bulk #805 Carolina Deluxe
McClelland - Holiday Spirit
Peter Stokkebye - Cube Cut
Peter Stokkebye - English Luxury
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Twist Flake
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake
Rattray's - Black Mallory (aged 12 years)
Lane Limited - Bulk #101 BCA
Lane Limited - Bulk #102 1Q
Lane Limited - Bulk #182 BLWB
Dan Tobacco - Blue Note


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## TanZ2005 (Jun 25, 2006)

I am looking to try some better Pipe Tobaccos, Very nice reviews you have done thanks for the loads of information you provide. 

James


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## karatekyle (Nov 2, 2010)

Great review! I quite like this stuff.


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## ruralhipster (Jan 15, 2010)

Great review I find white Burley gives a very light floral note sometimes. An enjoyable smoke but I prefer MacB Golden Extra as my light sweet burley go to.


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## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

ruralhipster said:


> Great review* I find white Burley gives a very light floral note sometimes*. An enjoyable smoke but I prefer MacB Golden Extra as my light sweet burley go to.


I can certainly see that, nice observation.

Thanks guys.


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## DanR (Nov 27, 2010)

Great review Nick, as always! I think this is my favorite of the OTC/Codger Burley type tobaccos. I even prefer this over the Captain. I found the tin aroma to be more like Rum, slightly reminiscent to Plumcake. I'll have to look for vanilla and clove next time and see if I can pick that up.

Thanks for the review!!

Oh, and BTW, I found this to be a great mixer for aromatic tobaccos that are too strong. For instance, I mixed this 1/2 and 1/2 with my last ounce of Berry Cobbler and it made it so much nicer!


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## freestoke (Feb 13, 2011)

Well done, Nick, as usual. I like Sugar Barrel, but seem to tire of it fairly quickly. It's a great addition to the Serial Aromatics Pouch though! Probably most of my Sugar Barrel goes in the pouch to make the room note more palatable when the mixture starts to get a little heavy from the perique and stronger tobaks I put in there. And that's what I would add to the review -- a rather pleasant room note!


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